Two Pima County school districts are holding job fairs over the next two weeks to help address widespread vacancies across the county and state.

Sunnyside Unified School District is hosting its job fair Saturday and hoping to fill some of the more than 200 job openings for teachers, counselors, groundskeepers, coaches, paraprofessionals, crossing guards and bus drivers.

With about 90 job openings in the Vail Unified School District, officials hope their February 1 fair at Mica Mountain High School will attract applicants for positions including teachers, occupational and physical therapists, language pathologists and school psychologists.

An August report by the Learning Policy Institute found that 2,230 teacher positions remained vacant after the start of the 2023–24 school year, with 872 teachers using emergency or temporary credentials, and 5,876 teachers not certified in the subject area they were teaching the year before.

A month later, the Arizona School Personnel Administrators Association released its annual report on teacher vacancies for the 2024-25 school year, confirming the state’s teacher shortage for the 9th consecutive year.

The survey showed that about 25% of the state’s teacher vacancies remained unfilled a few weeks into the school year and 52% of the vacancies were filled by teachers who don’t meet the state’s standard certification requirements. State law allows for people with experience in their fields to start teaching as long as they pass a certification course within three years.

In an effort to attract quality candidates, many districts across the state are upping the ante.

Vail is offering new benefit packages this year, including life and vision insurance, with the district’s website saying it offers the most competitive health insurance package in Southern Arizona. Vail is the only district with a plan that is 100% free to district employees, including preferred dental and vision coverage.

Sunnyside has increased its compensation for employees this year and added new positions to help add to its ranks.

While there are vacancies across the district, middle schools tend to have more job openings than elementary and high schools, according to Director of Communications Marisela Felix.

“It takes special talent to relate to students experiencing so many changes during this stage of life,” Felix told Tucson Spotlight, adding that Sunnyside has more than 50 job openings in its middle schools.

With so many vacant positions, whatever jobs are not filled after the fair will be handed off to the district’s pool of substitute teachers.

But Sunnyside officials are still hopeful they’ll be able to put a certified teacher in every classroom, saying they offer a competitive salary and benefits and host a new teacher orientation before each school year.

“Sunnyside Unified School District is a wonderful place to work,” Felix said. “You’ll have a positive experience with plenty of support, whether you’re new or seasoned in your position.“

Tucson Unified, Southern Arizona’s largest school district, is also looking to hire dozens of employees, including teachers, psychologists, bus drivers, groundskeepers and more.

While the district hasn’t announced a job fair, benefits are posted on its website and include medical, dental, vision and life insurance, short-term disability, health savings accounts, an employee assistance program, a state pension and more.

District officials hope the fairs attract people who have a passion for working with students. 

Sunnyside’s job fair is Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Sunnyside High School, 1727 E Bilby Rd. Job seekers are encouraged to bring a resume, letters of reference and a completed application, but interviews will also be available for walk-in candidates with a strong desire to help students. 

Vail’s job fair is Feb 1 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Mica Mountain, 10800 E Valencia Road. Prospective employees can schedule an interview at the job fair, but walk-ins are also welcome.

Abbie Andrus is a University of Arizona alum and Tucson Spotlight reporter. Contact her at asandrus@arizona.edu.

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